Peter Pedals Home for Mental Health.
Former Deniliquin local Peter Braine will return home on two wheels this month, bringing with him a team of riders and a generous $12,500 contribution to the Deniliquin Mental Health Awareness Group (Deni MHAG).
Peter grew up in Deniliquin and still has strong connections with the community. Now based in Melbourne, he is an Executive Director with Pitcher Partners and has been involved in the Alt Tour fundraising challenges for several years.
In recent years, the fundraising focus has increasingly centred on mental health in rural and regional Australia. Peter describes the Alt Tour Wellness Challenge as a way of encouraging people to get outside their comfort zone, share an adventure with others and promote both physical and emotional wellbeing.
This year, Peter will be joined by seven other riders and four support crew for Gravel & Trails 2026, a four-day gravel cycling adventure from Melbourne to Deniliquin as part of the Alt Tour Wellness Challenge, travelling through regional communities along the way.
The decision to support Deni MHAG came after Peter returned to Deniliquin at Easter and noticed the group's Sticky Topics mental health messages on footpaths around town. He loved the concept and, knowing another Alt Tour challenge was being planned, saw an opportunity to bring the ride to his old hometown and support the group's work.
“Having grown up in Deni and still having strong connections with the community, being able to bring the ride here and support the work Deni MHAG is doing makes this challenge particularly special,” Peter said.
Along the route, the team will also support Men's Sheds in regional communities, helping provide free Mental Health First Aid training. Previous fundraising has supported rural and regional mental health initiatives through the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal's In a Good Place program.
The riders and support crew will arrive in Deniliquin on Monday 19 October, when Deni MHAG, together with representatives from local groups and organisations that regularly support their events and initiatives, will host a welcome reception at the Deniliquin Golf Club Motel to welcome Peter and his team home and receive the generous $12,500 contribution.
Deni MHAG President Lourene Liebenberg said the group is enormously grateful for Peter's support.
“As a small local charity, we are always looking for funding opportunities. This generous contribution will help us maintain our website and develop new campaigns and resources, ensuring we continue to signpost the way to help,” she said.
“This year's Mental Health Month theme, ‘A Little Connection Goes a Long Way’, fits with our own message, ‘In Deni, we look out for each other.’
“It also connects strongly with Peter's message through the Alt Tour Wellness Challenge — bringing people together and recognising the important role connection can play in our physical and emotional wellbeing.
“We're very much looking forward to welcoming Peter and the team home to Deni.”
Anyone wishing to support Peter and the team's 2026 Alt Tour Wellness Challenge can contribute through their fundraising page:
For mental health information, resources and pathways to help, visit www.denimentalhealth.org.au.
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